Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2021-22
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Closed
Inquiry
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) is launching its annual scrutiny session into the work of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) in the financial year 2021/22. According to the House of Commons Standing Order 146 , PACAC’s role in relation to the PHSO is: to examine …
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17
Recommendations
18
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Oral session
7
Letters
1
Event
Activity timeline 11 events
4 Jul
2023
2023
16 Jun
2023
2023
31 Mar
2023
2023
28 Mar
2023
2023
10 Jan
2023
2023
20 Dec
2022
2022
20 Dec
2022
2022
29 Nov
2022
2022
29 Nov
2022
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
22 Nov
2022
2022
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
29 Nov 2022
View on parliament.uk
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2021-22
Amanda Amroliwala CBE · Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Rob Behrens CBE · Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sixth Report - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scruti… | HC 745 | 31 Mar 2023 | 35 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
17 results
2
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
We agree with the Peer Review Panel that the PHSO should provide clear reporting in...
We agree with the Peer Review Panel that the PHSO should provide clear reporting in an accessible format on delivering the Corporate Strategy for 2022–25 and that the PHSO should put in place detailed plans for dealing with the potential …
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Government Response
The government says PHSO is absorbing an increase in demand and outlines planned actions including increasing efficiency, introducing mechanisms to respond to increases in demand, and identifying systemic cases, as well as establishing a new Public Engagement Advisory Group.
4
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
In its response to this Report, the PHSO should provide a detailed account of the...
In its response to this Report, the PHSO should provide a detailed account of the changes being taken forward as a result of the end-to-end review of casework and the casework improvement programme, with examples of how this will improve …
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Government Response
The government states that they have already made improvements to several aspects of the casework process, including casework management (IT) system; forms, letters and templates; learning resources for caseworkers; and revised training and guidance for caseworkers, and are evaluating call recording and transcription of casework discussions.
5
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee accepts that some mechanism for prioritising the number of health complaints is needed...
The Committee accepts that some mechanism for prioritising the number of health complaints is needed and notes that there is international precedent for doing so. Nevertheless, we remain concerned with the continued approach of not processing complaints at Levels 1 …
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Government Response
The PHSO considers all complaints, and uses a proportional approach, and will review the methods applied to the casework process to ensure it is dynamic and able to adapt to the levels of demand for its service.
7
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee welcomes the improvements the PHSO has made to its website to give clarity...
The Committee welcomes the improvements the PHSO has made to its website to give clarity on how complaints will be considered using the severity of injustice scale. However, as indicated in the PHSO’s response to the Committee’s PHSO Scrutiny 2020–21 …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the improvements to the website and will review the content to see if further improvements can be made to explain their process and the complainant journey, whilst ensuring that the website remains succinct, accessible and easy to navigate, also exploring technological solutions.
8
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The increased use and focus on developing the PHSO’s mediation capacity as a means to...
The increased use and focus on developing the PHSO’s mediation capacity as a means to speed up casework is extremely welcome. However, considering the Ombudsman said that there is the potential to resolve 25% of cases by mediation rather than …
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Government Response
The PHSO aims to double the number of mediations again in 2023-24, has trained more caseworkers, and will start publishing outcomes of complaints resolved through mediation; however, they state that complainant availability and the need for systemic investigations are limiting factors.
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee is concerned by the fact that the PHSO has not met any of...
The Committee is concerned by the fact that the PHSO has not met any of its targets for the overall section Service Charter scores in the 2021–22 financial year. The Committee had previously understood that the scores were expected to …
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Government Response
The government states that staff turnover has stabilised and that they continue to prioritise developing PHSO's people to ensure they remain an attractive employer.
12
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee commends the pace in which the PHSO has increased its number of caseworkers...
The Committee commends the pace in which the PHSO has increased its number of caseworkers across 2021–22 and developed a 10-month training academy to support their induction and development in these roles. The Committee welcomes the continued investment in training …
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Government Response
The government states that the increase in staff turnover in 2021-22 was in-line with national trends following the pandemic and that turnover has now stabilized. They continue to prioritize developing PHSO's people and are committed to continuous improvement and learning.
13
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
In light of the increase in staff turnover in 2021–22, we reiterate our call from...
In light of the increase in staff turnover in 2021–22, we reiterate our call from the Committee’s PHSO Annual Scrutiny Report 2020–21 for the PHSO to consider other development opportunities to encourage staff retention. Whilst the development of a 10-month …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of staff retention and outlines steps taken such as training, staff surveys, and monitoring turnover, but makes no specific commitments to address the PHSO's loss of institutional knowledge or casework management pace.
16
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee welcomes the positive results of the staff survey, which saw increases in scores...
The Committee welcomes the positive results of the staff survey, which saw increases in scores in headline areas, such as leadership and managing change, inclusion, and learning and development. The only headline score to deteriorate was related to pay and …
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Government Response
The PHSO notes that the current labour market is challenging, but they have successfully recruited to roles which have historically been difficult to fill. They do not have plans to target applicants who are over the age of 50 as workforce data shows that they have good representation from this age group.
17
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The PHSO should report back to the Committee on how the organisation intends to continue...
The PHSO should report back to the Committee on how the organisation intends to continue to attract and retain staff, including those in technical digital roles and those who are over the age of 50, in light of wider trends …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the challenges of the current labour market but does not plan to target applicants over 50, citing good representation in the PHSO workforce, and states the review of pay and grading will help them remain competitive.
18
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The PHSO should report back to the Committee in its response to this Report on...
The PHSO should report back to the Committee in its response to this Report on the viability of breaking down a wider variety of staff diversity data by grade in its Annual Report and Accounts, as it already does for …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of understanding the protected characteristics of their workforce and are planning a campaign to raise the benefits of staff declaring this information with the aim of having as complete data as possible and will report this, for the grades where they have sufficient numbers of staff to maintain anonymity, once they have more complete data.
19
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee is pleased that the PHSO was able to secure an increased budget in...
The Committee is pleased that the PHSO was able to secure an increased budget in the 2021 Spending Review to cope with the increased demand on its service as a result of the pandemic. This has had a positive impact …
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Government Response
The PHSO is absorbing an increase in demand and managing inflationary pressures by implementing the 2022-25 Corporate Strategy to drive efficiencies in the casework process and enhance the service, as well as reviewing corporate functions to release resources.
20
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The PHSO should put in place robust plans to deliver further efficiencies across the organisation...
The PHSO should put in place robust plans to deliver further efficiencies across the organisation and report back to the Committee next year on any work taken forward in this regard.
Government Response
The PHSO outlines plans to implement the 2022–25 Corporate Strategy, increase efficiency, introduce new mechanisms to respond to demand, identify and progress systemic cases, and ensure reports meet high accessibility standards but does not commit to specific or new efficiency targets or plans.
26
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee firmly agrees with need for legislative change of the PHSO.
The Committee firmly agrees with need for legislative change of the PHSO. It has been seven years since the draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill was presented by the Government. Given that there is widespread consensus on the need to reduce …
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Government Response
The government welcomes the recommendation and states that it is actively raising the matter of Ombudsman reform with the Government, parliamentarians and wider stakeholders.
29
Recommendation
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee is encouraged by five organisations that have volunteered to adopt the UK Central...
The Committee is encouraged by five organisations that have volunteered to adopt the UK Central Government Complaint Standards. We urge the PHSO to continue to engage with Government Departments and public sector organisations to increase this figure, and to report …
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Government Response
The government is supportive of the complaint standards and, assuming they are shown to be working in practice, the Cabinet Office should play a role in working with other departments to encourage their adoption.
31
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
Whilst the Committee discharges its scrutiny role by examining the overall administration of the PHSO...
Whilst the Committee discharges its scrutiny role by examining the overall administration of the PHSO and its Annual Report and Accounts on a regular basis, it should be for departmental Select Committees to scrutinise the relevant thematic PHSO reports laid …
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Government Response
The government acknowledges the Ombudsman's work and the challenges it faces, including dealing with backlogs and increasing service demand, while noting the committee's request for robust plans for further efficiencies.
33
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Sixth Report - Parliamentary and H…
The Committee supports the PHSO’s work in promoting its services within vulnerable and marginalised communities.
The Committee supports the PHSO’s work in promoting its services within vulnerable and marginalised communities. We welcome the PHSO’s ambition to identify barriers to access, offer guidance to organisations, and increase awareness of its services with MPs and stakeholders. We …
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Government Response
The government will update the Committee on the Outreach program as it progresses, focusing on building trust and engagement with communities that rarely complain.
Government Response AI assessment · 35 of 17 classified
Accepted
16
Acknowledged
17
Rejected
1
Total
17 recs + 18 conclusions
Correspondence 7 letters
4 Jul 2023
To committee
Letter from Rob Behrens CBE on the PHSO Report - Broken trust: making patient safety more than just a promise, dated 29.6.23
Parliament page
28 Mar 2023
Correspondence with Rt Hon Therese Coffey MP, Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Environment Agency response to the PHSO's 'Earl Report', dated between 5.3–22.3.23
Parliament page
10 Jan 2023
Rob Behrens CBE, Ombudsman and Chair, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on changes to women's State Pension age, dated 21.12.22
Parliament page
20 Dec 2022
From committee
Letter to Rob Behrens CBE, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on update to PACAC on the investigation into changes to women’s state pension age, dated 14.12.22
Parliament page
20 Dec 2022
From committee
Letter to Rt Hon Therese Coffey MP, Secretary of State, DEFRA on the Environment Agency response to PHSO's 'Earl Report', dated 13.12.22
Parliament page
22 Nov 2022
To committee
Letter from Andreas Pottakis, Chair of the Independent Peer Review Panel on the PHSO Peer Review, dated 16.11.22
Parliament page
1 Nov 2022
To committee
Letter from Rob Behrens CBE, Ombudsman and Chair, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on Continuing Healthcare funding (CHC), dated 26.10.22
Parliament page